Did You Know?

• Research finds a powerful link between drinking full calorie sodas and obesity.  Soda drinking is also linked to reduced consumption of milk and fruit products and Type 2 diabetes.

• The average 4-5 year old consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day which amounts to approximately 64.6 pounds of added sugar a year.  The majority of a child’s added sugar intake comes from fruit drinks, high-fat desserts, soft drinks and candy.

• When a 30-pound child drinks one 12-ounce can of caffeinated soda, he or she is getting as much caffeine as a 150-pound adult who drinks 4 cups of coffee!

• That soda is the #1 source of sugar in the American Diet.

• That an 11.25oz juice pouch contains 9 teaspoons of sugar!

• Soda and other sugary drinks (such as fruit juice, fruit punch or Gatorade) in baby bottles and sippy cups contribute to early tooth decay in infants.

• Teenagers drink twice as much soda as milk.  Habits start early-so help your children become healthy teenagers by teaching them to cut back on soda now!

• Ordering water instead of soda in restaurants just once a week saves you $78 and 12,480 calories every year!

• Even 100% fruit juice contains a kind of sugar called “fructose.”  Doctors recommend young children drink no more than ½ cup of juice per day and no fruit juice for infants under 6 months old.

Rethink Your Child’s Drink

What a child drinks drastically effects the amount of calories consumed and calcium needed to build strong bones.  For kids of all ages, water and milk are the best choices.

Choose Milk
Milk is a source of calcium which the body needs to ensure strong bones and teeth.  Nonfat or lowfat milk is recommended for children over age 2.

Drink Water
Water is critical for good health and development

Eat Fruit
Always make fresh fruit available as an alternative to juice.  Fruit is a great thirst quencher and packed with nutrients.

Be a positive role model; if children see you quenching your thirst with water, milk or a piece of fresh fruit, they are likely to do the same.

Sugared soft drinks are a major contributor to the Bay Area’s unprecedented obesity crisis where more than half of our residents are overweight or obese and at risk for diabetes and other debilitating chronic diseases.

Children today are drinking more soda than ever.  This contributes to the rising rates of poor dental health and childhood obesity in our country.  Non-diet soda is loaded with sugar (about 10 teaspoons in just one can!), high in calories, and damaging to teeth and bones.  Even diet soda contains phosphoric acid, which deteriorates tooth enamel.

We want out kids to grow up strong and healthy – this is why we are challenging families and children to give up soda and sweetened drinks for the summer.  Instead we are encouraging families to rethink their drink and choose healthier beverages such as water or skim milk.
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